Finnegans Wake Nominated for Hong Kong Race
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The Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup (HK-I) at Sha Tin April 26 drew 61 nominees, including last year's winner Designs On Rome, 2014 Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) winner African Story, and U.S.-based Finnegans Wake.
This year's race carries record prize money of HK$20 million (US$2,578,416), an increase of HK$6 million on 2014.
Six nations or jurisdictions have triumphed in the race's 16 renewals since Audemars Piguet commenced its sponsorship in 1999. The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities ranked the race 19th among the World's Top 100 Group I Races for 2014.
Designs On Rome, currently rated the third-best horse in the world on official ratings, has added two more international group I triumphs to his record since storming to victory in the 2014 edition, having landed the Hong Kong Cup and the Citibank Hong Kong Gold Cup this season.
African Story, meanwhile, warmed up for a title defense in the March 28 Dubai World Cup (UAE-I with a recent victory in the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 (UAE-I) at Meydan.
Peter Miller-trained Finnegans Wake could represent the U.S. In this three most recent starts, the 6-year-old landed a hat trick of group II wins in California capped by the San Marcos Stakes at Santa Anita Park in February.
Hong Kong's 2013 Audemars Piguet QEII Cup winner Military Attack also is nominated to the 2,000-meter (about 1 1/4 mile) race. The UAE's group winner Prince Bishop, a close second last time out to fellow Godolphin candidate African Story, is another.
Among Hong Kong's 17 nominations are this season's BMW Hong Kong Derby winner Luger and runner-up Got Fly, while the home team's old guard is represented by Tony Cruz-trained dual group I winner California Memory and his high-class stablemate Blazing Speed.
Great Britain's evergreen globetrotter Red Cadeaux notched his biggest win in the 2012 Hong Kong Vase (HK-I) at Sha Tin, while fellow British-based runners Euro Charline and Just The Judge have scored their recent top-level successes in North America.
Also among 11 nominees from Europe, trainer Pascal Bary could unleash Smoking Sun, runner-up to Dan Excel in last year's Singapore Airlines International Cup (Sin-I) at Kranji.
Criterion heads the 12 classy Australian-trained nominees. David Hayes's charge revealed a liking for Sha Tin when a length third to Designs On Rome in December's Hong Kong Cup. Stablemate Spillway won the Australian Cup (Aus-I) 14 March and is another that could make the journey.
Japan has won the Audemars Piguet QEII Cup three times (2002 and 2003 with Eishin Preston and 2012 with Rulership) and 12 horses from that quarter have been nominated this time. To The World was a close second to super mare Gentildonna in the Arima Kinen (Jpn-I) in December.
"The Audemars Piguet QEII Cup is firmly established as one of the top 20 group i contests in the international calendar, and it is great to see that reflected in the quality of this year's nominations," said Bill Nader, executive director of racing for the HKJC. "We have 44 nominations from overseas, and, of the total 61 nominated, 18 are group I winners and a further 30 are group I-placed or have won or placed in pattern races."